9 Months of Raising a Wildflower

Right now you're sitting beside me at my desk in your high-chair watching a Big Bird video on my phone, as it sits propped up on a picture frame so that you can see, but not touch it. I have a blanket covering your legs and feet because a vent is blowing cold air up at us. That's okay though, despite being September, it's still a thousand degrees outside. Gross. We had one tease of cooler weather just over a week ago and it was bliss! You wore fall clothing (including the most beautiful mustard yellow head-wrap), we kept the front door open (and you said hello to basically everyone and everything), we ate baked apples, and you even required layers upon layers when we went for a nice walk with Gramma. Can I also just say that there isn't anything cuter than you in a pair of boots? It made me so excited to share our first Autumn together with you on the outside! Last year at this time I was getting so close to meeting you, and thinking about it makes me all nostalgic for that wonderful anticipation that I felt.

However, having you here in the flesh, WALKING around the house (you read correctly!), smiling that little jack-o-lantern looking smile at me, and dancing in your chair (as you are right now), are all things I would hate to go without. We are in the fourth and final quarter of the way to you being a whole year old and I have never been more excited and ready to celebrate ALL things that will happen in these next few months! Pumpkin patch trips, your first Thanksgiving, your first Halloween, your magnificent birthday extravaganza, then the Christmas season that will follow shortly after. Girl, buckle up. We're going to be finishing the first year of your life having even more fun than we have had up until this point (and I for one have had a blast!)

9 month stats for Lil' R.P.

Birth weight: 6 lbs, 11.5 oz, 19 inches long

9 months: 19.2 lbs, as weighed at your 9 month appointment (roughly at the 50th percentile)

Eye colour: more often now people ask if they're hazel or brown. They DO have earthy hazel undertones, but the green is still very much so prominent. Just beautiful.

Diaper size: 3 (we're going to be here for a while because you have a little bum like Dada!)

Clothing size: You're quite tiny, have never been rolley-polley, but are long, so I don't put you in anything smaller than 12-18 months anymore (except a couple sweaters that are still 3 months which you fit into...)

Nickname: Queenie Beanie is now added to the list! You're still first and foremost my little Bug or Bean, forever and always.

What Momma has observed about you at 9 months young

Oh Rowan, you are so wonderfully bright and glittery right down to your bones. You truly do stand out and radiate this beautiful aura that people just love, especially me! Being a first time parent, I am new to everything the same way that you are, so to me, whenever you do something, I assume that it is right on track with the natural progression of a baby. However, I am starting to realize more and more that you're a quick learner, and are just sprinting through this first year, tackling milestones with ease and doing things in record time! For instance, you WALK now! At 9 months you took your first couple steps and then more than quadrupled them in about a week! It's both crazy and wonderful watching you do these things. I mean, as a parent you know that eventually they will happen, but then you actually SEE it first-hand and you realize what a big deal it actually is, and you can't help but feel this overwhelming pride. Something as natural and thoughtless to us as walking, yet to you it's life-changing and the very first time your legs are doing their job all on their own! It's a pretty ENORMOUS deal!

On August 31st you took your first step, two in fact. We were at Chris' house in Cooks Mills because Alexis was having a bonfire with her friends. They actually all played a role in your first steps, so I promised Alexis that I would put it down in writing. We were on the back deck and stood you up (multiple times), while I sat in front of you with my arms out, and they all lured you my way by holding up flip flops, flashlights, even singing Sesame Street songs. A group of high schoolers, who actually gave a damn about you taking some wobbly steps for the very first time. It was the cutest thing, but so was how proud you were of yourself when you managed to stay standing, or caught yourself before you fell, or took those two teetering steps all by yourself!

It gets better. On September 5th, you and I were just at home like usual, and you decided to acknowledge your walker. Your feet were cold, so I decided to put shoes on you, and low and behold, you started ripping around here with your walker, with perfect ease! I couldn't believe it, so I took a million videos and then lined you up so that you could show Daddy when he got home from work. Aside from the fact that I had to move all of the area rugs, and keep you going in a straight path (you hit into the fridge, baseboards, basically everything otherwise), you were so good! You have also used Gramma's ottoman as a walker at her apartment and just rammed into things until you got stuck.

Then the real deal happened. On September 8th (see how quickly this progressed?), you took MULTIPLE steps, again at Chris' house in Cooks Mills! This involved us standing you up in the living room and baiting you with toys to walk very short distances. We went crazy when you actually did, so you for sure thought we were nuts. Since then, you have been walking greater distances around the house, sometimes grabbing onto the nearest piece of furniture, or our legs, but you let go now braver than before, having more confidence in yourself, and you try and try again. Tonight I think you took about 15 steps in one run, which is crazy! We are all so very proud of you, Rowan, and everyone was right when they said that you'd be an early walker. Those Jolly Jumper days served you well. Having you walk to me with your arms out, and gigantic smile and look of uncertainty on your face, is one of my new favourite views. OH, and needless to say, on September 9th I ran out with Gramma to buy you actual running shoes. Your very first pair; these little white and pink Champion runners from Payless in a size 4. I also picked you up a pair of winter boots since by then you will be running around! Uncle Joey approves of your runners by the way. He claims Champion is very in right now...

Let's see what else you've been up to... Your vocabulary is growing right along with you! Though you still haven't said "Mama", you enjoy calling me and basically everything else "ball". It's my own fault for teaching you the word as we played in your fort, throwing one around. Since then you say it about five thousand times a day. You also said "bow" while trying to eat one, "bah", which is your rendition of "bye" (and you kept repeating it while swatting away a toothbrush when I tried to brush your teeth for the first time), and of course you say "dadadadadada" all day long. So he is "dadada" and I am "ball". I will remember this, child of mine.

You have started connecting words or sounds with actions, like when I say "oh no!" You put your hands on your head. Zia is actually the one who drilled this into your mind, always saying "oh jeeze", while doing the hand to head motion, hoping you would catch on. You also blow kisses, which is currently more of an aggressive slap against your mouth, and you point your finger in a scold-like manner when we say "no more monkeys jumping on the bed!" (You love when we sing this song!) You've also been known to shake your head "no", which is often accompanied by a frantically "get out of my way" hand gesture. You also open and close your hand when the "quack quack quack quack" part of Elmo's Duck Song plays! These are all things that you have seen us do and proceeded to copy, which is so amazing because it shows what a fast learner you are. You also have started giving big, wet, sloppy, open-mouthed kisses. So sloppy, yet so endearing and sweet. You will just lean your face in and do it, and I melt because I know you love me.

Because you can stand so well now, you absolutely love standing at the front door when just the screen door is closed, waving and saying hi to everyone and everything that passes. Whether it's kids getting on and off the school bus, to leaves blowing, or a dog passing, you are like the pint-sized neighborhood watch and always need to see what's happening. If the neighbor is cutting the lawn, you will bolt to the window and throw back the curtains. You're still so nosey, but it's just too sweet watching you light up whenever you see someone walking by, or Gramma coming to see you in the mornings before she goes to work!

I can't really explain this next one, but it surely stems from that little Korean impressionist thing from last month. You started squinting so much when you smiled, that Zia would ask you if you required glasses. We would all die laughing because it was so funny to see. For having such gigantic eyes, they sure disappear fast. You get that from your father, who has the disappearing eye syndrome in 90% of the photos taken of him.

This one is just a cute little thing I've noticed that we do now, but whenever I finish working out and come back upstairs where you've been playing with Daddy and destroying the place (I seriously don't know what you guys do within that hour that leaves the place looking so distressed), I pick you up and you take a sip of water from my shaker bottle. I actually leave you enough purposely so you can do that because it's such a habit now.

You're becoming such a good little listener too! We've been practicing handing things back and forth lately, and you're able to follow the direction of, "Rowan, can Momma / Dada have that?" Sometimes we pass a ball, and other times Cookie Monster gets stuck in the limbo!

You've also started playing strange with many people, mostly men. Some days I truly believe that you'd be happiest sewn to my hip because when you get this way there is no one else you want but Momma. You played super strange with Dr. Ashraf this month, and even Uncle Joey! To be fair, he was gone for a long two weeks in Texas this month, training to become a firefighter! But he did come to see you the night before he left!

Your hair is now long enough to sport alligator clips! Your hair grows longest down the centre of your head, so you have this unruly hairdo that just does whatever it wants to, often choosing to sprout up at the top no matter how much I brush it back down. This long section, however, goes up perfectly in an alligator clip bow! Just this past weekend we even got two in so you were able to have pigtails! FYI, I've upgraded you to bigger bows so your collection just keeps growing alongside you. Also, I found you thee daintiest little barrettes for your hair for when it's brushed to the side, and they make you look so much older. If that wasn't enough, I recently tried all of your hats from last winter on you and the difference is astounding. From a newborn to almost 10 month old, I cannot believe the difference!

Another note that I made in my phone says "you reach for my hand to hold at night", and you do. It's a new thing, but whenever we go to bed, whether you're curled up against me, or laying on your own, you reach your hand back behind you to feel for mine, and hold it until you fall asleep. My days always end on a good note this way. I mean, how could they not?

Things you absolutely love

In addition to dancing, clapping, taking baths, playing in the bath tub sans water and in your clothes, and ransacking your toy bin, you thoroughly enjoy playing in Carter's at the mall. They have that one designated area to keep kids occupied while their parents shop, and you are all for it. It was raining one Monday, so we went with Lenix and Stef to the mall, and while Lenix ate, you played and had a great time. The lady working was laughing because you were so excited. I just stood there watching something so simple, an activity so free and random, bring you so much joy and amusement. I love seeing you happy, and watching how big you've become, and how you can stand up, sit down and maneuver yourself around so independently, made me look so forward to your crazy toddlin' years to come!

You also love destroying things. Whether it's the bin of workout clothes in my room that you love to empty onto the floor, the kitchen cupboards that you explore until you find every piece of Tupperware possible, or your book shelf that I have to restock numerous times a day, you keep both yourself and I busy. Whenever I am in the kitchen doing something, you help yourself to the one cupboard that you know I keep your little coloured bowls in. You open it up and take them out and sit on the floor at my feet, sliding them around. Then I hand you a silicone spoon and you're happier than anything. It truly is the small things.

Speaking of which, Gramma and I recently brought you to Chapters, and between saying hi to everyone, looking at all of the toys and books, walking by yourself, and riding this toy there called Bugsy Wugsy (like, how perfect for my BUG!!?), you had such a fun time! There was a table of older women sitting at the Starbucks, laughing at how cute you were walking solo, and one of them looked at you and said, "what a perfect little person". Is there even a nicer compliment? I've said it before and I will say it again: you ARE joy.

Other honourable mentions: before we get out of bed each morning, I stand up, then you reach your arms out to me and I bounce you off the mattress and lift you up high into the air (and I ALWAYS get a big smile), the Elmo's Ducks Song, being out and about, hunting Momma down whenever you see me eating anything, touching my hair when it's wet after a shower, you still love FaceTiming Gramma and dancing while it connects (because you KNOW she will sing "good morning, good morning" to you as soon as it does), pushing your fort so that you fit between the fort itself and the wall by the front window (this has become your new hiding spot), when Momma gives you a snack, whenever Dada comes home from work and plays, when you think we're chasing you, but really we think you're going to fall off the couch and anxiously reach over to pull you back, looking at the family photos I have on the fridge while we wait for your bubba to heat, BUBBA, other babies, play dates with your pals, saying hi and waving to people like you're the queen, napping in my arms, when people share food with you, pointing that tiny finger around, and of course, us!

Things you aren't so fond of...

You and I both ain't a fan of whenever you're not feeling well. This means missing out on playdates, the absence of my energetic crazy girl, and we usually end up sleeping on the couch to keep you propped up a bit so you can breathe better. At the very end of August you ran a fever for a couple of days, and we even made a trip to the Emergency because of it. You were super cuddly and mushy for the duration of that week, getting in lots of naps and Momma-lovin'. Thankfully you bounced back right after, but no one is happy when you're sick!

You still hate whenever something is taken away from you, or being in your stroller for too long if we're out somewhere. Momma still can't exit the room without you losing your mind, and lately you really don't like being laid down to be changed. You cry whenever I use the vacuum (but you totally grab cloths and pretend to dust, so I'll let the vacuum thing slide). You're still such a happy baby, so these mini and minor meltdowns are super manageable.

Eating Habits

My food loving, absolutely NOT picky eater! You are a dream to feed. Although you still receive 24 to 26 ounces of formula in a 24 hour period, you have three main meals a day and little snacks in between, much like last month. I'm not even sure what your favourite food is because you never turn anything down, or make a gagging face, or spit food out. You are so easy, and whether I'm shoving broccoli at you, or cabbage rolls, you open that tiny mouth and give it a try.

This past month, you have tried:

• rice cakes (with mashed avocado or pb)

• raisins (you and I always share some)

• ribs with sauce

• cabbage rolls

• quinoa bowls

• mashed potatoes

• mini morning rounds

• a formula smoothie (with fruit and spinach)

You tried the mashed potatoes when Daddy and I took you out for supper to Kelsey's. I ordered you your very own side (of course you ate my chicken too because we share everything now), and I figured mashed potatoes were a yummy treat. You LOVED them! Go figure. Gramma and I keep saying how much you will love Thanksgiving dinner because it has all of your favourites!

Aside from a couple treats here and there (hello, whipped cream and pancakes!), you eat very healthy. Dr. Ashraf was so impressed at your appointment when I showed him pictures of your typical meals. He gave you the go ahead to try some tuna and fish now that you're past 9 months, so we will be tackling those in the next little while! Thank you for being such a good little eater and making Momma's life so much easier!

Sleeping Pattern

What can I say? You nap during the day, you sleep through the night, you go to bed around 8-8:30 p.m., and you wake up at 7 a.m. the majority of the time. You're still in our bed with us, but I love you there next to me, especially now that you're grabbing my hand and holding it to fall asleep. It's safe to say you've had the same smooth sleeping pattern for a long time now, so I think the only rough patch we will encounter will be when we start your nights in your crib. I'm actually starting to think that it may be sadder for Momma than you!

Playtime & Development

Did I mention how much you love playing? At home, at your friends, by yourself, with others, in the tub, in your car seat, in shopping carts. You do not stop, girl! Keeping up with you is a full time job! You officially get into everything, and I am constantly picking up after you, or making sure things are out of reach.

Here is a cute story though. We walked to Shoppers one day, you and I. While we stood in line waiting to pay, I noticed a bin of clearance summer toys. There was this little My Little Pony ball somewhere in there, and you pointed and exclaimed, "ball!" It was .99 cents. I probably would have got it for you even if it was $10 because you were so excited about it. So I handed it to you and you proceeded to smile and hold it up to show everyone we passed, like it was some great prize. You held onto it the entire way home, and even fell asleep holding it. A .99 cent object made your entire day, and it dawned on me then just how wonderful the world must look through the eyes on someone as young as you. Cost means nothing, and the simplest thing can mean everything. I know that making you happy won't always be as simple as buying you a cheap little ball with ponies on it, but on this day it was, and I was so glad that I could do that for you.

Developmentally, you're on fire. You hit every target, sometimes sooner than expected, and if at first you do not succeed at something, you continually try until you get it right. As I say to you when you walk, "go go, girl!" I'm so proud of all you've accomplished this past month, Bean.

Dates & Holidays

On August 27th you had your 9 month check up with

Dr. Ashraf, and the best part was that there were no needles at this one! Instead, it was nutrition-focused, and to see how well you are growing. After looking at your measurements, Dr. Ashraf input them into his laptop and then showed us your growth curve, saying, "it's so perfect that it looks hand-drawn". So cheers to you, kid. He said to start brushing those little teethies (you now have about 7), to start getting you used to fish, and to pardon the whole playing strange thing because it is expected at this age. Of course, no appointment is complete without you showing off your party tricks, both clapping and dancing. The next time you're scheduled to go back is once you're a ONE YEAR OLD! How crazy is that?

Because your timing is impeccable, two days later is when you came down with your fever and got sick. Getting you back into see Dr. Ashraf would have taken too long, so Daddy and I brought you to the Emergency around 8 p.m. and waited it out on the floor in the hallway until you were seen and we were able to go home by 11ish. It was packed in there that night, and even though you were feeling under the weather, and stripped down to nothing but your diaper so that you would cool down, you were smiling and waving to people. Some of them even called you "the Gerber baby" because you are so darn cute and smiley. The nurses who dealt with you were so incredibly sweet and kept bringing you water, and letting us use the quiet room so that you could get some sleep. In the end it was nothing more than a passing bug, but the reassurance was relieving.

On September 2nd, we celebrated your baptism! It was kept small and brief, but you looked stunningly beautiful in your little white dress and headband. You were baptized along with three little boys, much younger than you. You looked like the giant of the bunch!

Daddy and I actually had to go to the church one Saturday before your baptism for a meeting. There were a handful of other parents and their young babies there as well. You brought along Cookie Monster and threw him around the entire time, making a memorable impression I am sure... Funny enough, the priest baptizing you was one that I knew from my gym! While I was pregnant with you, I would always see him there and he always asked how I was feeling and how far along with you I was. So he basically watched you grow to full-term!

Armed with your godparents, you were baptized at St. Kevin's Church, with Momma, Daddy, your grandparents, Zia and Alexis, Ziza and Uncle Ralph, and Auntie Roxanne, Uncle Frank, and Anthony all there watching. Momma had to interject when you kept clinging to Lindsay for dear life when she held you over the basin so that you could have the water poured on your head. Reluctantly, you gave in. Never a dull moment.

Afterwards, we came back to our house for cake and coffee and you were gifted a beautiful necklace and pair of earrings from Uncle Joey and Lindsay.

Oh, and because I am a mom with what is probably considered to be inappropriate humor, I had a sign on the table of desserts that said, "Thank you for standing there today while a man in a dress tried to drown me. Love, Rowan". Hey, I still think it's funny! All in all, it was a successful day, and you napped so nicely when it was all said and done, my little blessed angel baby.

On September 14th, we accompanied Ashlee and Bryce to the Handmade Market at the 13th Street Winery. For a fall event, it was awfully bloody hot out. We were both dying of heat, so the only logical solution seemed to be sharing a scoop of vanilla ice cream! How cute you were, in your pink ball cap, sitting on a curb, sharing a treat with your Momma. I'm so glad to have my little gal pal!

Lastly, from your Momma's perspective

Officially, you have been kickin' it with me here on the outside for longer than you ever kicked me from the inside! You and I together seems like the world's most natural and meant-to-be combination. I will never truly understand what I did in this life to deserve you, but I am overwhelmingly grateful to have the daughter I never knew I needed.

Being the person who gets to spend every minute with you seems like I'm in a surreal fantasy land. Seriously, I always think about how strange it is that all my life I was expected to work at a job I hated just to pay bills and "be an adult", and now I get to be a mom, which is the biggest role I have ever had, and the most important thing I certainly will ever do. I think because I view it so much as a passion rather than a "job", I feel like it can't possibly be okay to just do my passion instead of physically going to work, but here I am, and it isn't a fantasy land, it's real life! Some days are very long, others are challenging. Some days I swear I've picked up your tiny plastic bowls off of the kitchen floor more times than I can count, or find my dish towel (that you love to rip off of the stove) in the most random of places. Just when I feel as though I am at my wit's end for the day, I look down at you with your gigantic eyeballs and sweet smile, and I see more than a million reasons as to why that day was still a great one filled with love.

In an old and well-known interview, the famous country singer Johnny Cash was asked to describe his idea of paradise. His answer, a mere six words, laced with the most simplicity possible, revealed more about the love he felt for his dear June Carter than any long-winded paragraph ever could. Now, I'm no expert on Johnny Cash, but I deeply understand that kind of love, and upon waking every day, to you, I can relate to that definition.

"This morning, with her, having coffee." - J. Cash

Life with you, Row, is really something special. YOU are something special. These past 9 months together have been the best, and you just keep on growing into this amazing person who has forever changed my outlook on, well, everything really. Thank you for that.

As always, the past month has filled my Momma heart with immense joy, and I can't wait for the next chapter. Hey, maybe you will finally call me Momma and not "ball"!

Happy 10 months earth-side, Bug!

I love you infinitely.

Love, Momma